07/31/2025
As I sit hear trying to figure out what to write in the post and how I wanted to sound, unsure of to gather words I want to say. Trying to decide how I wanted this post to read, it hit me that this post has nothing to do expressing my sadness or anything of the sort but it’s a post to say thank you to Taco.
First let’s start with the name Taco. I used to laugh Because everyone’s good male dog was named “Sniper” or “Killer” or “Bull” or “Man Eater” or just rough tough name. And my was named Taco.
I bought him from Brandi after seeing a picture of him and another puppy. There was no expert opinion as to why I picked Taco. I was just a du***ss who thought he needed another dog. Because buying a puppy is a crap shoot, and anyone who says they got the “pick of the litter” at 8-1-12-15 weeks old, is a blooming fool. None of us have any idea.
But none the less I remember the day Kyle dropped Taco off, and Dillard told me he sure liked this pup and thought about keeping him for himself. That day sticks out to me so much because I didn’t know it then, but my dogs and dog training changed a-lot that day.
I had a couple of good dogs till that point, that allowed me to be ready for Taco. He went on to teach me a lot, what a good true stockdog is for one. Because he wasn’t the roughest dog at any point, and I wasn’t sure what to think of that. He showed me good strong dogs all have different ways they go about doing their job. The amount of things I got to see him do taught me what a good dog is truly capable of, and how valuable they can be!
We had some tough luck at the Futurity on the last day of the last obstacle and didn’t make the finals. But that’s just where the fun began, I went on the win the Intermediate Finals a few days later with him, and won a lot of other trails with Taco. He also taught me what a winner was. He kept getting used at home and he was always ole faithful, from gathering cattle off the road or doctoring cattle with him, to weaning sheep.
I was also able to to win the SWCDA Futurity, with a son of Taco’s first litter. Who I fittingly named “Nacho”. So now Taco not only changed me as a trainer he gave me a chance to compete with all the big kids, and win.
So for anyone that needs to hear this, sometimes when you lose your just starting to win. And Taco taught me that. He taught me what a good smart dog was, and how to expect more from my dogs and trust them to do their job. He was a partner, and a lot of times he’d be thinking the same thing I would be and stop himself or flank himself. And even covered up my mistakes and take a wrong flank, but he was right and I was wrong.
Enjoy those good dogs because they aren’t around near long enough.
All of that being said, thanks for everything Taco. You were at the right place at the right time.
